Campos do Jordão – Visiting Switzerland Without Leaving Brasil

How about escaping the heat in the US and enjoying the moderate winter of Brazil?

In the Serra da Mantiqueira, located 170 kilometers from the city of São Paulo and approximately 1700 meters of altitude, is Campos do Jordão, Brasil’s highest and coldest city, located between mountains.

The architecture of the city’s buildings takes inspiration in the Swiss style, characteristic of buildings with steep roofs and trim. The fashionable town center of Capivari has excellent hotels, restaurants, pastry shops and malls. Around it, are luxurious residences that resemble chalets and imposing mansions of Norman style.

The cold climate and the fresh air of the mountain are compared to those of Davos Platz, in the Swiss Alps, and those of Chamonix, famous French resort. But Campos do Jordão is still
more advantageous than the other European climatic resorts because of its mountain
tropical climate that makes the sun present almost all year.

In winter, the town is full of people, during the traditional Winter Festival, one of the most important classical music festivals of Brazil and Latin America.

Masses sung in Gregorian chants are presented at the Mosteiro das Monjas Beneditinas de São João, open daily for tours. There you can still enjoy the peace of the beautiful gardens for a moment of meditation.

The Palácio da Boa Vista, traditional building of Campos do Jordão, houses today an important cultural center of the city.

Nature surrounds the town, it is a show in itself, and provides pleasant walks, like the visit to the Horto Florestal, the trail to the Garalhada Waterfall, the practice of tree climbing in the Parque dos Lagos and the contemplation in the beautiful Amantikir Park.